초록 ▼

An optical waveguide junction including a multimode input waveguide and a plurality of n spaced apart output waveguides, disposed on a substrate. Each of the output waveguides has a different propagation constant, (e.g., by having different widths or indices of refraction), so that the input modes o

An optical waveguide junction including a multimode input waveguide and a plurality of n spaced apart output waveguides, disposed on a substrate. Each of the output waveguides has a different propagation constant, (e.g., by having different widths or indices of refraction), so that the input modes of optical radiation are sorted in a predetermined way into n groups of output modes corresponding to the n output waveguides. If the input waveguide is excited with optical radiation of different wavelengths, the output waveguides may be tailored with specific widths and indices of refraction to sort the input radiation into the n output waveguides as a function of wavelength, thereby demultiplexing the input optical signal. More generally, the junction may also be utilized with m input waveguides and n output waveguides to implement routing, switching, modulation, and wavelength multiplexing/demultiplexing.

대표청구항 ▼

An optical waveguide junction for mode sorting of optical radiation comprising: a substrate; an input multimode waveguide disposed on said substrate for propagating multimode optical radiation; and a plurality of n spaced apart output waveguides disposed on said substrate and coupled to said input w

An optical waveguide junction for mode sorting of optical radiation comprising: a substrate; an input multimode waveguide disposed on said substrate for propagating multimode optical radiation; and a plurality of n spaced apart output waveguides disposed on said substrate and coupled to said input waveguide, each one of said waveguides having a width which is different from an adjacent waveguide, so that the multimode input modes are sorted in a predetermined way into n groups of output modes corresponding to the n output waveguides respectively, each of said output waveguides branching from said junction so that the distance between the edge of the waveguide with the edge of an adjacent waveguide increases from zero.